Dean Colley was born and raised
in the Los Angeles area and attended the University of Southern California as a
pre-med student in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, while working as an
Emergency Room Technician. However, Dean’s true passion was writing, singing and
performing. He sang and played guitar in a variety of rock & roll bands for 20+
years. The Hot August Night! concept and the incentive to move in a new
direction, were the result of two catalysts. The first was a litany of comments
on Dean’s resemblance to Neil Diamond, including a strong baritone voice and
secondly, a piece of advice from a concert promoter who had watched Dean develop
as an artist for several years: "You should do a Neil Diamond tribute!"

After assembling an
initial 30-plus song set of Diamond classics, Dean auditioned band
members and then plunged headlong into rehearsals.

Hot August Night!
introduced itself to the public in 1998, during a self-produced
concert at the Convention Center in Ontario California. 500 people
witnessed the first 2-hour show that Dean ever performed, which was
recorded and used as a promotional CD.

Hot August Night!
A Tribute to Neil Diamond starring Dean Colley has since performed in
Las Vegas, Reno, and Laughlin Nevada, in Oregon and throughout
Southern California at fairs, clubs, casinos, concerts and
fundraisers.